Of Nobles and Detentions
by Admiral T. DeVanto
Summary: Frankenstein is forced to make a decision that will surely haunt him to his grave.


Frankenstein folded his hands, leaning forward in his seat. His blue eyes scanned the uncomfortable group of teens seated before him. One burly young man was glaring at the redhead seated in the middle of the group, his gaze fierce. The redhead, however, seemed unfazed by the negative attention, and instead seemed fascinated with the flooring. Only one teen looked regal and calm in the situation. It was that very teen that Frankenstein gazed at.

"Cadis Etrama di Raizel," he said, his Master's full name passing through his lips. He had very rarely, if ever, called his Master by his full name. But appearances must be kept up, as he was now in the present of several adults in his large office. Some of the teachers present were frowning in disapproval, others were confused.

"You are allowed to speak freely here," Frankenstein continued. "This is your last chance to explain to us what happened. Or," here, he swallowed uncomfortably as he presented his threat. "Face the consequences."

But, to his charigen, the Noblesse stayed silent.

Frankenstein's gaze flickered over to a certain redhead sitting at Raizel's right. Shinwoo hung his head, eyes downcast. His clenched fists were resting on his knees, his eyes flickering shut as he grimaced. Though his discomfort did not seem to have anything to do with the other, glaring teen, but rather, with Raizel's silence.

"I am aware that Han Shinwoo is your friend," Frankenstein said. "And while your loyalty is commendable, it will only get you in further trouble. Tell us what happened." The last sentence came out a bit more desperately than he intended. He stretched out through the bond, brushing up against his Master's link.

Finally, his Master glanced at him momentarily. His red eyes held a small measure of guilt. But there was acceptance in those eyes. In that moment, he broke his gaze with Frankenstein and looked away.

" _Master, please,"_ he pleaded through the bond. " _Don't make me do this."_

Raizel only closed his eyes.

Frankenstein bit his lip, his heart heavy as he was faced with the ultimate decision. This decision would haunt him to his grave. He was aware of the other teachers in the room, impatiently waiting for him to carry out the sentence. But he couldn't do it. He was condemning his own Master! He wanted to drag this out for as long as he could, or stop time, or even go back in time and stop this from ever happening.

But there were no such miracles now.

"Very well," Frankenstein said, resigned. "Then I regret to inform you boys that you have a weeks worth of detention."

Yes, Frankenstein never thought he would be doing this. Sentencing his Master to detention was possibly the worst thing he had ever done.

* * *

M21 approached the group with a frown. The past hour had been a whirlwind of confusion for him, and he was sure he wasn't the only one seeking answers. First, Raizel had received detention. Detention! Of all things! He was sure that Frankenstein was having a nervous breakdown right about now.

"How's he holding up?" M21 asked as he came to stand next to Tao. The hacker himself seemed troubled, his normally carefree attitude tampered down.

Tao sighed, running a hand through his hair. Beside him, Takeo was frowning thoughtfully. "He's moping around, his eyes are hollow, and there's such grief in his eyes that it threatens to drag you down to the pits of eternal sorrow."

M21 blinked. "Raizel?"

Tao looked up, startled. "What? No! I was talking about the Boss. I've never seen him so distressed. He's going on about how he's brought dishonor on the Noblesse's name, his family, his cow."

M21 blinked, sharing a confused look with Takeo. The sniper just shrugged, unable to provide any insight into what Tao was talking about. "His cow?" M21 asked.

Tao waved a dismissive hand. "Watch the Disney movies with the kids. You'll get it."

"So," Takeo started slowly. "There is no disgraced cow?"

"Not what the Boss said, but like I said: Disney," Tao stated. "Anyway, Mr. Raizel is holding up just fine. It's just an hours worth of detention."

"You'd think it was a lifetime with the way the Boss is handling things," Takeo commented. "Do you even know what got Mr. Raizel in trouble?"

Tao shrugged. "All I know is that the incident that landed Mr. Raizel in this mess involved Shinwoo, another guy, three girls, and a black backpack. Somehow, the cops got involved as well, and that's when things escalated."

"And somehow, Raizel was connected," Takeo concluded. He looked up in the direction of the school doors with a small smile when he noticed Yuna, Suyi and Ikhan. "Looks like the kids are waiting for their companions."

M21 stood up suddenly, noticing the teens sitting on the bench. If anyone could tell them about what had happened, it was the kids. "I'm going to go ask them. Maybe they know something we don't." With that, he quickened his steps and approached the young group. As he strode forward, he noticed how Suyi had a comforting arm around Yuna while Ikhan was sitting on the edge of the bench, chewing the edge of a pencil wordlessly. It was actually Ikhan who noticed him first.

"Mister! Big Bros" Ikhan exclaimed, leaping from his seat and waving to him. "You came to wait for Rai and Shinwoo too, huh?"

"My shift is not over," M21 replied as he came to a stop. He could sense Takeo and Tao approaching him. "In fact, I wanted to ask you guys about Rai and Shinwoo. Do you know what happened?"

Yuna looked down, hands clenching and unclenching into fists. "I...it's so horrible that I don't even want to speak of it." She suddenly looked up, and M21 was shocked to see that there were actual tears in her eyes. "Rai would never do something like that! He's...he's so nice!"

"And Shinwoo probably didn't even mean to get Rai in trouble," Suyi continued in a defensive tone. "Trouble seems to just follow Shinwoo, and this time, Rai was involved."

Takeo stepped forward, and M21 was relieved to step back and allow the sniper to handle the fragile conversation. "So, what happened to get them in trouble?" he asked, his tone gentle.

"Yeah," Tao piped up. "All we know is that some other guy and three girls were involved, and a black..."

This time, the tears did fall from Yuna's eyes, and Suyi herself looked like she was going to cry. Even Ikhan looked troubled.

"...Backpack," Tao finished hesitantly.

"Um, there there," M21 said awkwardly, stepping forward and lightly patting Yuna's shoulder. He tensed up when Yuna leaned into his touch, her tears mercifully slowing down somewhat. He glanced at his companions with a helpless look.

"Dry those tears," Takeo said, kneeling in front of Suyi and holding out a handkerchief. M21 couldn't help but think that if Karias was here, he would be so proud of Takeo's gentle manner. "A glamorous lady should not be in such distress."

Tao awkwardly went to stand at Ikhan's side, unsure what to do.

It was then that the three modified humans decided that they didn't want to know what had gotten Rai and Shinwoo in such trouble.

* * *

Shinwoo rested his head on the desk, groaning. How could he have been so stupid, so reckless? He already felt bad enough about what had happened, but to get Rai in trouble as well? That was worse! He saw how the Chairman tried to get Rai out of trouble. He could see the desperation in those blue eyes. Heck, even Shinwoo wanted Rai to defend himself and avoid trouble. But, his friend had remained silent and accepted his punishment.

Just that very thought caused Shinwoo to open his eyes and glance at his lone companion. He and Rai had been sent into a different classroom than their other classmate for detention, a decision that Shinwoo was grateful for. However, a small part of Shinwoo wished that he and Rai were sent to different classrooms as well. That way Shinwoo didn't have to be reminded of his guilt and who he had accidentally involved.

But Rai did not even speak to him. He didn't even look at Shinwoo. He just continued to gaze out the window. He didn't do much of anything. He just...stared.

Shinwoo lifted his head up from the desk, swallowing uncomfortably. "Look Rai...you should go and explain everything to the Chairman. That way, I'll be the one in trouble, and you can get away from this. None of this was even really your fault. You were just...there. You did nothing wrong, and it was all my fault. I'm just...I'm really, really sorry."

Shinwoo squeezed his eyes shut, leaning back in his seat. "Just go to the Chairman. Tell him everything." The unspoken thought passing through Shinwoo's mind was that, if Rai really did go to the Chairman, Shinwoo would be in even bigger trouble. But he didn't mind. Rai had done no wrong, and he shouldn't be punished just because of his affiliation with Shinwoo.

"I refuse."

Shinwoo looked up, shocked. Rai still continued to stare out the window, but as Shinwoo continued to stare at his friend, Rai finally looked at him with a soft gaze. There was no condemnation in that gaze, only understanding.

"I'm staying."

Shinwoo sputtered. "B-but Rai! You can-"

"I'm staying," came the response.

Shinwoo continued staring in shock before a small smile spread across his lips. He shook his head wryly, slouching in his chair with a sigh. "Rai, you really are something. Something amazing." He looked at Rai. "Thank you."

Thank you for staying. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your friendship. All of those unspoken thoughts went through Shinwoo's mind, and he wasn't even sure how to tell Rai just how touched he was.

But the small smile Rai sent his way told Shinwoo that Rai understood. "Of course," he said. "That is what friends are for."

* * *

Eventually, the hour was up, and Shinwoo and Rai were allowed to leave. Shinwoo had all but leaped up from his seat, eager to get out of the stuffy room. Rai's exit was a bit more controlled and slower as he followed after his red haired companion towards the doors down the halls. Shinwoo ran on ahead, eager to escape the school building.

From the shadows, a tall, blonde haired man watched. His blue eyed gaze was heavy with regret and guilt, and he was unsure what to do.

Raizel stopped in his tracks, tilting his head before looking back with a small smile. He extended his hand out, waiting. Through the bond, he had felt the immense shame and guilt Frankenstein felt as he had been forced to punish him. In fact, Raizel had never been punished before, and he was surprised at the mild sentence he had received. He only had to sit in the classroom for an hour, something that did not bother him.

But it had bothered Frankenstein, and Raizel wanted to put his servant's mind at ease. Raizel was alright, and he held no grudge against anyone for what he had gone through. Especially Frankenstein.

Frankenstein stepped forward hesitantly, his head bowed. "Master," Frankenstein started. "I am so sorry for this."

Raizel would have smiled if the situation was slightly different. Frankenstein was always so quick to tend to Raizel's needs, something no one had ever done for him. And here he was, apologizing for something so trivial.

But it was not so trivial to Frankenstein. Today, their roles had been reversed, and Frankenstein had been the ultimate judge.

"It is alright," Raizel said. "I wanted to experience a normal school life. Isn't detention a part of it?"


End file.
